Ranking 2026 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Teams: Who Has the Best Chance of Reaching Final Four?

The first three rounds of the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament are in the rearview, and we are now moving on to the Elite 8. On Saturday night, the biggest and best tournament in American sports resumes with only eight teams still standing. But who are the best teams left in the tourney?

We look to answer that question with our ranking of the Elite 8 teams set to hit the court this weekend.

Advertisement

Related: 2026 Elite Eight Predictions – Projecting Which Teams Reach Final Four

8. Iowa

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

While they were lost in the shadow of Iowa State during the regular season, Iowa returned to the big dance for the first time in three years this month and now has the full attention of its state after reaching the Elite 8. The main reason why an improbable run is a defense that gave up just 66.0 points to opponents during the season.

It played a major role in huge wins against Clemson, Florida, and then Nebraska in the Sweet 16.

7. Tennessee

Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Tennessee did not give the impression that they could be a problem in the NCAA Tournament as they limped into the brackets after losing four of their last six. However, the six-seed quieted their detractor with some very impressive play.

Advertisement

Led by future NBA Draft pick Nate Ament and senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie, the Volunteers have beaten 3-seed Virginia and title contender Iowa State to get to the Elite 8 this weekend.

6. UConn

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

UConn seemed like a serious title contender once again for much of the season. However, over the last month of their campaign, they started to struggle and lost twice to St. John’s, including a blowout defeat in the Big East tournament.

However, under the bright lights of March Madness, Dan Hurley’s team has played much better and earned their way into the Elite 8 with a hard-fought victory over Michigan State.

Advertisement

5. Illinois

Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Brad Underwood has turned…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ranking-2026-ncaa-tournament-elite-182828936.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-03-28 18:28:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.